Aldean revs up new disc

Aldean recorded the 15 songs during the past year. Aldean mixes R&B, Southern rock, pop and classic Nashville.

"With this new album, it's definitely the same old me. But, I like to mix things up and try new sounds and go into territory I've never explored before, so I do a little bit of that too. That's why I named the album 'Old Boots, New Dirt'...I'm almost 10 years into this crazy ride, but in a lot of ways, I feel like I'm just gettin' started," said Aldean. "I think my fans have come to expect some surprises from me, and we've got another big one comin' tonight. You'll have to pay attention or you could miss it in a flash."

"That title and that song, 'Old Boots, New Dirt,' is about starting with a clean slate. I'm the same dude, but we're gonna start over and hit some uncharted territory here," he said to Buzzfeed.

The first single from the disc has been "Burnin' It Down," which has been number one on the Billboard Country Songs chart. While criticized for being more pop oriented than country, Aldean said, "If somebody can put a definition on what country music is, please tell me," he said.

"I'm pretty knowledgeable in country music, and I've never once seen where it says, 'Country music doesn't have a drum loop,'" he said. "It's great to put your stuff out there and give your fans a chance to tell you what they think. But if you're not careful, you can read way too much into what people are saying. No, ("Burnin' It Down") is not Hank Williams, Sr. or George Jones, but this also isn't the '60s and the '70s. As great as that music was, you have a new wave of artists that were influenced by a whole different world of music, and country music is gonna evolve just like any kind of music."

"When we're cutting a record, we don't have any rules," Aldean said. "It's just about finding the best songs we can find."

Songs on the CD are:

1. "Just Gettin' Started" (Chris DeStefano, Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley)

2. "Show You Off" (Neil Thrasher, Tony Martin, Brett Beavers)

3. "Burnin' It Down" (Rodney Clawson, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Chris Tompkins)

4. "Tryin' To Love Me" (Wendell Mobley, Hillary Lindsey, Neil Thrasher)

5. "Sweet Little Somethin'" (David Lee Murphy, Ben Hayslip, Marv Green)

6. "Laid Back" (Michael Tyler Spragg, Jaron Boyer, Adam Shoenfeld)

7. "Tonight Looks Good On You" (Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ashley Gorley)

8. "Too Fast" (Chris Stapleton, Lee Thomas Miller)

9. "If My Truck Could Talk" (Wendell Mobley, Neil Thrasher, Andrew Pates)

10. "Old Boots, New Dirt" (Lee Thomas Miller, Tom Shapiro, Neil Thrasher)

11. "I Took It With Me" (David Lee Murphy, Ben Hayslip)

12. "Don't Change Gone" (Neil Thrasher, Tony Martin, Michael Dulaney)

13. "Miss That Girl" (Ross Copperman, David Lee Murphy)

14. "Gonna Know We Were Here" (Brett Beavers, Brett James)

15. "Two Night Town" (Tim Nichols, Brett James)